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"Our thoughts concerning telecommuting are deeply ingrained from the Industrial Revolution, where everyone showed up at the same place at the same time [and] stood on factory floors to pull the lever and start the looms," says Katherine Dew, associate professor in Hodges University’s Kenneth Oscar Johnson School of Business.
Ideas about productivity have gone through a huge mental and cultural shift since then, and managers can both monitor and improve their telecommuting employees’ efficiency without actually seeing them.
First, managers should establish a rapport with telecommuting employees, Dew says. Connect with the people involved in a particular project or team, not just en masse, but as individuals. Greet employees by name, tell them you need an update, and ask about any obstacles they are facing that you can help resolve.
Effective communication techniques can boost telecommuter efficiency—and morale, Dew adds. Managers should convey objectives clearly and succinctly to the employee, group or team, and explain how those objectives link to the organization’s mission. "One of the real problems today is people not feeling connected to a mission. They don’t know what direction their company is going in and they need to be reminded," she says.
Embrace telecommuting and show everyone in your organization that the best people have some choices about how to work. "Increasingly, as boomers retire, the next generation has different work motivations and expects greater choices and greater use of technology. They expect a relationship both [professional] and unique to them as individuals, [which demonstrates] how and why their work is linked to the organization."
Q: I took a job at a new firm,
where I am managing employees who are used to a different style of leadership. What can I do to help make the transition smoother?
Every new manager goes through an "on-boarding process" that is either a formal, structured process or an informal happenstance, says Heather Christie, president of ActionCOACH Business Coaching.
If the transition is particularly rough, Christie suggests that a third-party facilitator from the company, such as a human resources expert, ask employees what they would like to know about their new manager and what they would like to communicate.
Then there should be a group meeting—a casual event—between the team and the new manager to conduct a business and personal alignment. "It’s a non-threatening, open, safe and even fun environment, as opposed to the manager coming in and saying, ‘This is what’s going to happen and this is how it’s going to go,’" says Christie.
At this event, the new manager has an opportunity to create a new culture with employees by sharing and establishing values and goals, which could include anything from integrity and good service to communication and teamwork. Then it’s up to the leadership to set the tone and establish ways to help the organization attain those values and goals.
Finally, there should be a follow-up with employees after the event, such as one-on-ones with each team member.
"There’s a principle I like to quote," says Christie. "‘Seek first to understand, then to be understood.’"